Who: My neighbor & I
What: An American in Paris, a new Broadway musical based on the 1951 Gene Kelly film
When: May 2018
Where: Hippodrome Theatre, Baltimore, MD
Why: Another neighbor of ours generously gave us his tickets.
Thoughts: I wasn't planning to see this show. I had the impression that it would be a dull, dance-heavy production.
I was mostly right.
What I hadn't counted on was the awful attempt at a book. I adore classic shows and generally roll my eyes when people protest them claiming racism, sexism, etc. But in the case of American in Paris, I couldn't help but think #metoo as the female lead said no for the 24th time and the male lead still would not leave her alone. It rapidly escalated from meet cute territory to creeper territory.
Compound that fact with little to no character development (you literally could have killed off any character in this show and it wouldn't have mattered because you just don't care) and lots of dance only numbers, and, well...
It's no surprise this is the first time I've ever considered leaving a show at intermission.
In all fairness, the critics disagree with me. I'm sure lots of dance lovers disagree with me. The dancers were talented, the set design was beautiful...but the bottom line is that American in Paris wasn't for me.
Good thing the tickets were free.
If you're so intrigued, have a listen to the cast album here. Or, you can read about all the shows I like more than American in Paris here.
Who else has seen the show? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts?
Let me know in the comments!
Sometimes the "classics" don't age well. I often watch cartoons on boomerang with Joseph and Charles. I frequently get a shocked expression and am like that would NOT fly today!
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